Europe's supposed economic powerhouses are collapsing under their own socialist weight.
Meanwhile, a conservative woman nobody in the establishment wanted is running laps around them.
And Giorgia Meloni just humiliated Europe's biggest economies with one Reagan-style move.
Italy Outperforms Germany and France Under Conservative Leadership
When Giorgia Meloni took office as Italy's Prime Minister in October 2022, the global elite had a collective meltdown.
The media called her a "far-right extremist" and predicted economic disaster.
But three years later, Italy's economy is humiliating Germany and France – the supposed titans of European economic power.
Italy's deficit collapsed from 8.1% of GDP in 2022 to an estimated 3.1% last year.¹
Inflation dropped to 1.1% in November 2024.²
Unemployment retreated to 6% in October 2024 – the lowest rate since April 2007.³
"Confidence returned, and the economy responded," Italy's Deputy Foreign Minister Edmondo Cirielli told Fox Business. "It has stronger fiscal discipline, record-high employment, and a government, once again, seen as reliable by international markets."⁴
The data backs him up.
Italy added 847,000 new jobs between October 2022 and October 2024 – a 3.6% increase in overall employment.⁵
Of those new jobs, 937,000 are permanent positions while fixed-term contracts dropped by 266,000.⁶
The employment rate hit 62.4% while youth unemployment plummeted from 21.7% in September to 19.8% in October 2025.⁷
Compare that to Germany, where the governing coalition collapsed, or France, which cycled through three different prime ministers last year.
Italy now has the most stable government in Europe under Meloni's leadership.
The Reagan Revolution Comes to Italy
In many ways, the policies were identical to what Ronald Reagan instituted in 1981.
Reagan proved conservatives could govern effectively and deliver results.
Meloni did the same in Italy.
"She did not abandon her roots; she made them compatible with the responsibility of governing and with international dialogue," Cirielli explained.⁸
Reagan used his "three-legged stool" metaphor to describe the conservative movement – defense of national sovereignty, economic freedom, and traditional social values.
Meloni referenced that exact framework in a 2020 speech to the National Conservatism Conference in Rome.⁹
"Without any one of the three legs, the stool will collapse," Meloni said, praising Reagan's vision.
Like Reagan, Meloni cut through bureaucratic red tape, reduced the deficit, and restored international confidence in her nation's economy.
The parallels to Reagan and Margaret Thatcher's partnership in the 1980s are striking.
Meloni operates like Thatcher did – she's a conservative who builds coalitions and moves political debate through sheer force of will.
She's used her position to shift the European debate on migration, security, and sovereignty.
Her policies have been adopted by Brussels and emulated by other European leaders who initially dismissed her.
Europe's Establishment Faces Humiliating Reality Check
The same elites who predicted Italy's collapse are now watching in horror as their own economies crumble.
Germany's manufacturing base? Destroyed by green energy fantasies and dependence on Russian gas.
France can't keep a government together for more than five minutes.
Spain and Portugal are buried under debt they'll never pay off.
But Italy? Italy is creating jobs, cutting deficits, and restoring fiscal discipline under conservative leadership.
President Donald Trump recognized what the European establishment refused to acknowledge.
Meloni was the only European Union (EU) head of government invited to Trump's January 2025 inauguration.
"Meloni is a fantastic leader," Trump declared.¹⁰
That symbolic gesture confirmed Meloni's role as the continent's conservative standard-bearer and Trump's key European ally.
The meeting at Mar-a-Lago on January 4, 2025 wasn't just diplomatic protocol.
It was Trump signaling that America's strongest partnership in Europe runs through Rome, not Berlin or Paris.
Not everyone is convinced Italy's success will last.
Critics point to the country's aging population and reliance on EU COVID recovery funds.
But Cirielli dismissed those concerns.
"The Marshall Plan worked not simply because of the money itself, but because there were governments capable of using it effectively," he said. "That is what is happening in Italy today."¹¹
The lesson is simple.
Cut spending, cut red tape, put your country first – the economy responds.
Keep spending money you don't have while bowing to Brussels – you get Germany and France.
Meloni proved conservatives don't need to water down their principles or apologize for wanting strong borders and fiscal sanity.
They just need to govern according to those principles and let the results speak for themselves.
¹ Daniel Lacalle, chief economist at Tressis, "Italy Prime Minister Meloni delivers economic recovery since taking office," Fox Business, January 3, 2026.
² Ibid.
³ "Italy Unemployment Rate," Trading Economics, December 2, 2025.
⁴ Edmondo Cirielli, "Italy Prime Minister Meloni delivers economic recovery since taking office," Fox Business, January 3, 2026.
⁵ "Employment Growth During Meloni Government," Italy News, December 7, 2024.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ "Italy Unemployment Rate," Trading Economics, December 2, 2025.
⁸ Edmondo Cirielli, "Italy Prime Minister Meloni delivers economic recovery since taking office," Fox Business, January 3, 2026.
⁹ Giorgia Meloni, "National Conservatism Conference," Rome, February 4, 2020.
¹⁰ Donald Trump Jr., foreword to I Am Giorgia: My Roots, My Principles, 2025.
¹¹ Edmondo Cirielli, "Italy Prime Minister Meloni delivers economic recovery since taking office," Fox Business, January 3, 2026.
